Did any survive? I'm sure if any one here lives near you will happily repopulate some of your plants. Look on the up side now you have a reason to go out and buy loads of plants.

Michael - LOL! That's what my husband said to me last night when I was worried about the weather but we had no more room inside. And the room was holding above freezing at the time. He pretty much told me that I could start over. So, when I told him this morning that they are frozen, he starts telling me that I don't need to get plants that require me to tote them back and forth...MEN!

I wonder if the roots are still good. The leaves were frozen solid this morning.

Camellia...E-mail me. ok?

I am so sorry..Been there done that..It's crazy..

mikerno_1@yahoo.com

Mike

Sorry for your loss. I have not even been in to check on my plants.

Wow...why didn't you think the temps in the room would get below freezing? Not all MEN think like that :)

Sorry for your losses, I have lost many a good plant over the years...

Christopher

Christopher, the room had been above freezing in the 60s all winter. I had checked it several times that day and it was fine; still above freezing. That's why I was surprised.

I've had some plants come back from the roots after their tops were frozen (others did not). But I live in moderate temps. Nothing so drastic as many of you have to deal with on a regular basis.

So, there is some hope. But maybe new plants are in your crystal ball! Sorry for your loss. Been there, done that. It's no fun! :(

My friend..

Why don't you have a coule of space heaters in there for things just like this?

I have one going all the time , one for back up, and then a third for the below 0 stuff and I thankfully have never lost a plant and I live in Massachusetts...I WISH I could live where you are and just have to depend on one space heater any given time..

Why not invest in a space heater and prevent this from ever happening again? This way if I send you a replacement, I know you are all set for the next time.

Mike:-)

Camellia,
Sorry to hear about your loss, I don't know what I'd do IF that happened to me, I live in S. Calif. & it has been quite chilly lately, Like down to 28 & 30 degrees with No signs of any damage so far, My Question is just how cold can these cacti & succulentss handle?

I imagine the climate has something to do with it, I'm in zone 8 - 9 and sometimes while I'm looking out the window I'm thinking "BABY IT"S COLD OUTSIDE"

Just how cold is too cold?

Greg

Mike - You are so right! If only I had thought about that and bought more heaters. You know what's on my list now...2 more heaters!

Gat this one! Ihave two..They save so much money on electricity and only go on when the temp in there reaches the temp you set it one and are inexpensive....Love them!

You might want to have one that goes on by itslef once the electricity comes back if you should ever loose it even for a sec...The one above only comes back on if you manually turn it on..It is on ready mode if you loose electricity or accidently unplug it.

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Great space heater

Thanks Mike! Love it...always happy to know what I need to get and the picture and store is just. PERFECT!

Here in San Francisco it hasn't been below freezing this winter (in fact it drops below freezing in the city only every 10-20 years or so) but my plants still suffer even in non-freezing cold; they drop leaves, go mushy with even a touch too much moisture. So even in a great Mediterranean climate like we have, it seems to be all about finding precisely the right location in the yard. Plants in one corner are fine, in another they're goners...

Citrus plants may come back from thicker wood. Even the begonias may sprout from thick stems near the base, if they are the angel-wing type, and some have tuber-like roots that may come back. As for the orchids, orchid cacti and aloes, I doubt they'll regrow. So if you can keep for a while those that have a chance, they may surprise you. Sorry that it happened though. I had a 10x12 greenhouse years ago with species orchids that had been collected from felled rain forest trees so that they could be saved, several cacti, an acacia tree that had just produced its first flower buds and was a couple of days from blooming, a huge passion flower, and many bromeliads and more. I was away for the weekend, and a severe mid-winter "noreaster" that we get here in New England came along and ripped a panel right off, exposing everything to sub-freezing temps. I lost it all, not only the monetary value (orchids alone $2,000+ and that's in 1972 dollars!) but also the sheer sadness of all those plants dying. So I understand very well. But then you start over with all new stuff! The silver lining to the cloud.

{{gwi:5901}}